Chapter 3: New Feelings and Planning

6th October 1990

"Bloody hell," Ginny whispered to herself as she closed the seventh book. She placed it on her nightstand, stacking it on top of the sixth book before putting Hermione's handbag on top of it. Her bright brown eyes were red and swollen from crying, something that has been a constant for the last five hours. Ever since she read what happened at the end of Chapter Thirty-One, ever since she read how Fred—

Ginny shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to not think about that. She sat up on her bed and leaned back until her back was pressed against her pink-coloured wall. She pulled her knees against her chest, placed her head on her knees, and massaged her temples. Ginny couldn't believe that everything she had been reading for the last five weeks will begin to happen the following year. She didn't quite know what to think.

If there was one thing that Ginny did know, though, after reading all seven books, it was that she no longer wants to become romantically involved with Harry James Potter. Not if he was never going to truly see the real her, particularly after she grew up. Not if he was going to miss what was right under his nose for so many years. Not if he was going to repeatedly break her heart and make her wait for him, involuntarily and voluntarily.

Ginny scoffed and shook her head slowly but angrily. Any romantic feelings that she had for Harry were completely gone now. Gone was the fangirl with the silly and hindering crush, the naïve girl who used to fantasize about meeting him, being swept off her feet by him, marrying him, and living happily ever after together. Ginny swore to herself that she was never going to be that girl again, never ever. She was not going to ogle at him like he was something at a Muggle zoo. She was ashamed of how she loved the idea of him when she was younger and less mature, when the real Harry was not heroic and was, instead, very selfish, especially when it came to her. No. That girl was gone. This new Ginny was going to remain true to her fiery, talkative, independent personality. This new Ginny refused to be reduced to an uncharacteristically shy mess around Harry. She swore to herself that this time, that won't happen, because she no longer fancies him. Not the Boy Who Lived, not the Hero of the Wizarding World, not Harry Potter, not even just Harry.

Ginny swore that this time around, she will find someone who won't make her cry, who refuses to make her wait, and who will want her as soon as he realizes his feelings for her. She'll find someone who won't think she's a slag or a scarlet woman just because she had two relationships before she ended up with him. She read how Harry's so-called chest monster was "roaring its approval" when Ron nearly called her a slag or scarlet woman or what-have-thou, just because she was snogging her boyfriend. Not some random bloke, but her boyfriend, who she had been dating for several months at that point. Harry actually thought that she was like that. All because she shared a snog with her boyfriend of several months? That was another reason as to why she didn't want to be romantically involved with Harry.

This was despite the fact that her book-self's relationships with Michael Corner and Dean Thomas each lasted one full year before they ended, which Ginny found quite remarkable for a teenaged girl. If her book-self truly was a slag, then she would have dated around a lot more than just two blokes before dating and then marrying the third bloke, and those relationships not only would have been completely meaningless, but they also wouldn't have lasted a full year.

There was also the fact that, based solely on what she read, her relationships with either Michael or Dean were not all that serious in comparison to her relationship with Harry, even though she was with each of them for a full year, compared to how she was with Harry for nearly two months before the War ended. She called Michael "the fool" for drawing unnecessary attention to the D.A. She didn't like how he was too soft on her during the D.A. meetings by not properly duelling her. He was a "bad loser" for not being proud of her Quidditch victory when she caught the Snitch right from under Cho's nose, and then he immediately ran off to comfort said human hosepipe. Ginny and Michael overall didn't do a lot of normal things that a couple did, such as going on dates at Hogsmeade, holding hands, walking each other to their classes, etc.

Ginny did note that her book-self's relationship with Dean was slightly more serious, though. Whereas she sat with Harry just before her fourth year began, even though she was dating Michael by that time, she sat with Dean on the Hogwarts Express just before her fifth year. She and Dean went to that Merlin-awful Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop for a date, and they shared that one passionate snog… all before Harry and Ron discovered them in the middle of said snog. It was only after that when things went downhill between her and Dean. They rowed over little things such as his overprotectiveness towards her and how he thought Harry's fractured skull during a Quidditch match was deemed a funny accident. Had their relationship been truly serious, they would not have rowed over little things, which led to rather big blowouts, and their relationship certainly would not have finally ended after Dean was helping her through the portrait hole—although the present Ginny had to admit, she was rather annoyed that a bloke thought she was too fragile to do something as simple as walking through the portrait hole by herself, without any help.

Book-Ginny got over both relationships very easily, so the present Ginny came to the conclusion that while her book-self did like Michael and Dean, at least enough to spend a year together as a couple with each of them separately, she didn't love them. Based on how not-serious her relationships with each of them were, she never went past snogging with either of them, because she didn't love them. Present Ginny could never imagine being intimate with a bloke unless she loved him with all of her heart. She figured that her book-self would never give her virtue to anyone, except for the one she loved. It just didn't fit how she was characterised in the books—and present Ginny was the same as she was written in the books, just younger at the moment. If her book-self truly was a slag, she would have easily given her virtue to either Michael or Dean. However, Ginny noted that nowhere in the books was it ever indicated that her relationships with either of them were serious enough to go beyond second base, which, according to the surprisingly experienced Adele and Ethel, involves… touching certain parts of each other's bodies that Ginny sincerely hoped she would never do until she was much, much older.

Based on how her relationship with Harry was much more serious in comparison, despite only dating for less than two months before the War ended, and based on how her book-self ended up marrying Harry and giving him three children, she obviously did go past snogging with him. She really did love him if she married him and shared children with him, and Ginny knew in her heart of hearts that she could never have children with someone she didn't love. She gave her virtue to him and only him. Harry was the one she loved most.

And, given how Harry had always described her book-self very lovingly and rather romantically, and with such high praise—even when compared to Cho, Parvati, Hermione and Luna, and even when he was as young as twelve years old, what with his thinking of her eyes as being "bright brown" instead of just being "brown," and with his thinking of her blushes as "glowing like the setting sun" or how she blushed "to the roots of her flaming hair"—how he described his relationship with her as "making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time," how he thought about her constantly during the rather pointless Horcrux Hunt, how he often stared at her dot on the Marauder's Map in the hopes that she'd somehow know that he was thinking about her—Ginny wondered why she never inherited it from her twin brothers, but, given that Harry is the son of James, a.k.a. Prongs, she eventually understood why—how she was the only person he thought of right before he "died," how he ran after Bellatrix when the psychotic evil witch nearly killed her book-self, in which he completely forgot about the task of finally killing Voldemort just because she was nearly killed… The strongest Love Potion in the world could not have produced the genuine happiness Harry felt when he was with her. The strongest Love Potion could not have made Harry think of her as his very last thought right before he "died." Ginny noted that when Harry "died," he did not think about Ron, or Hermione, or his parents, or her own family, or Sirius, or Remus, or Dumbledore. Harry's last thought was of her, and only her. Harry's love for her was true. She, Ginny, was the one Harry loved most. Ginny understood all of this.

But, reading how Harry ignored her book-self even though he noticed that something was wrong with her during her horrible first year—how he noticed her reaction to the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express but didn't think to comfort her or ask her about it—how he knew that she was becoming comfortable around him and how they actually became friends during the summer before his fourth year but still chose to ask another girl to the Yule Ball, a girl who didn't show a genuine interest in Harry, who later tried to replace him with a former boyfriend whom she clearly loved more, who was always going to think of Harry as being second best to her first boyfriend, which was something that understandably aggravated him to no end—how he didn't think to ask her about Voldemort possibly possessing him—how he forgot about the ordeal that nearly killed the two of them in the Chamber of Secrets, after she fought the would-be Voldemort for nine months—how he kept so many secrets from her even after they became a couple—how he didn't trust her compared to Ron and Hermione even after they became a couple—how he selfishly broke up with her, despite describing his time with her as "making him happier" and such, to keep her safe, when she still suffered badly at Hogwarts with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, in which the secondary trio tried to protect themselves and the younger students from the Carrow siblings and the Slytherins, and in which he clearly forgot that she was born into a well-known "blood-traitor" family and that everyone at school, including the Slytherins, knew of their relationship… Given all of Harry's actions towards her, before, during, and after their brief time together as a couple during the War, Ginny just could not bear to suffer that same hurt this time. She had no idea how her book-self was able to forgive Harry after everything that he did, enough to marry him and share children with him, but she needed to save herself from being hurt. Ginny figured that as long as she refused to become romantically involved with Harry, she wouldn't get hurt this time.

She also didn't want to become romantically involved with either Michael or Dean, because, had Hermione not suggested that she try to move on and give up on her crush by dating other blokes, Ginny's book-self probably would not have entered those relationships in the first place. It wouldn't be fair to either of them if she dated them this time around, knowing that she could only like them, but never love them.

Despite her changed feelings towards him, Ginny knew that she still had to include Harry in her conquest to change the future for the better. Not only did she indirectly tell Rose that she would do so, when she promised that she would give the books to her then-unknown future husband, but she also reasoned that Harry wouldn't be Harry if he didn't go through the experiences from the books. Also, the prophecy states that as the so-called "Chosen One," Harry is the only one who can kill Voldemort once and for all, because Voldemort chose him instead of Neville, possibly because he and Harry are half-bloods while Neville is a pure-blood, so the evil ponce considered Harry his equal. Whatever the reason or reasons, Harry will have to "die" and be sent to Limbo first before he can fulfil the prophecy. Ginny wasn't going to be like Dumbledore, who not only left Harry with the absolutely dreadful Dursleys (the bond of blood charm notwithstanding), but who also has no qualms in hiding the most important details of Harry's life and destiny from him. The more Harry knew about himself and what he had to do, the sooner he could fulfil the prophecy and be as normal a wizard as possible, and the sooner that a better future could be written for all of them. Even if it meant that James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna would not be a part of the new future.

That reminds me, how in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts did Harry and my book-self ever come to name our second son after both the old bastard and the greasy git? Ginny thought. Even though I now know Snivellus Greasy's full backstory, including his eternal unrequited love for Lily J. Evans Potter and his current role as a double agent, I still can't see how I was okay with the name. Did Harry want our second son to be bullied at school? After all of the bullying he had to endure from the snakes and the Dursleys? After all of the bullying I had to endure in my first year, not only from my own schoolmates for my second-hand robes and books, but also from Tom bloody Riddle, the would-be Voldemort? After all of the bullying my whole family has had to endure simply for being "dirt poor," "blood-traitors," "Muggle lovers," and "soulless gingers"? Humph. Well, no child of mine is going to endure bullying. Not if I can help it.

Thinking about her possible future children made Ginny stop and think for several moments. It had only been a few minutes since she had finished reading the epilogue, and yet she had already grown attached to those three. Just knowing that she would have children of her own, children who remind her of her own loud yet loving family, was enough to turn Ginny's heart into mush. However, given her new feelings towards Harry, she refused to marry him, let alone have his children.

After several more long moments, a thought occurred to her. Perhaps... The three of them can still exist in this new timeline; they will simply have a different mother. James Sirius will not inherit my brown eyes, and Lily Luna will not inherit either my brown eyes or red hair. No matter. Harry deserves a happy ending, to have a family he loves and who love him back unconditionally, but he won't build that family with me.

Ginny paused her thought as another one came to her. However, if Harry chooses to read the books—whenever I give them to him, that is; June is probably the earliest that Adele, Ethel, and I can do so—and if he chooses to join us, maybe we'll become friends long before my fourth year. Although we did talk quite a bit in the fourth book, up until just before the Yule Ball, so I suppose we really became friends in my third year; he unfortunately didn't notice until I gave up my crush on him. Anyways... No, it would not hurt to become friends with him earlier on this time. According to Mum and Dad, many great marriages start out as friendships. So, at the very least, friendship is definitely something I want with Harry. Anything else beyond that... Well, we'll cross that bridge if "anything else" even happens, although I'd rather not have to deal with that. I don't want to be with him like that. Even so, a friendship can only be formed if he wants to read the books and join us. And if he doesn't want to do either... Well, I'll cross that bridge when we approach him next year.

With her new feelings for Harry resolved, Ginny looked around her room, and her eyes landed on a picture on her wall. It was of a five-year-old Fred being yelled at by their mum, just after the former turned Ron's teddy bear into a great big filthy spider. Their father took a picture of the moment with his Muggle camera to remind Fred to never cross his mother like that again. Ginny was only two years old when this happened, so she doesn't remember the incident at all, but later on, she nicked the photograph because she wanted to be able to mimic her mum, mostly for whenever she wanted to threaten the twins if they didn't include her in their pranks. The photograph helped Ginny develop her best Molly Prewett Weasley impression, and it has helped her keep the twins and Ron in check several times in the last few years.

Looking at it now, though, brought Ginny to tears once more. In the unmoving Muggle photograph, Fred was laughing, despite being yelled at, and George was not in it. Eight years from now, Fred will die while laughing during the Battle of Hogwarts, and George, who will lose his left ear ten months prior to the Battle, will not be nearby to witness it. Eight years from now, the very phrases "Fred and George" and "the Weasley twins" will be shortened to just "George."

Ginny shook her head vigorously again and angrily wiped away her tears. No! I'm not going to let that happen! No matter what happens between Harry and me, no matter how much we manipulate events in this timeline, I will not let Fred die this time! And...

Ginny stopped to think about all of the other causalities in the upcoming Second Wizarding War. There were so many of them…

Cedric Diggory. Broderick Bode. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Florean Fortescue. Susan Bones' aunt, Madam Amelia. Emmeline Vance. Hannah Abbott's mum. Little five-year-old Montgomery. Headmaster Dumbledore. Professor Burbage. Hedwig. Professor Moody. Minister Rufus Scrimgeour. Mykew Gregorovitch. Bathilda Bagshot. Ted Tonks. Dirk Cresswell. Gornuk. Gellert Grindelwald. Dobby. Griphook. Bogrod. Professor Lupin. Tonks. Colin Creevey. Lavender Brown. Even that greasy git double agent Professor Snape. And so many other victims... There were so many personal losses... Fred was the most personal loss for us… None of them will die this time. None of them will die this time! If history is to change, let it change! I swear upon the former Fred that my companions and I will change the future for the better! Ginny nodded determinedly to herself as her thoughts stopped running wild.

At the stroke of midnight, knowing that she would not be able to sleep tonight (of course, she has barely gotten any sleep in the last five weeks), Ginny decided to get to writing her letter to Adele and Ethel. Because the books took up her evenings and late nights, Ginny didn't write a very long letter for their seventeenth birthday the previous month. Instead, she wrote a brief letter that expressed birthday wishes and her love for them, along with a promise that she'd write them a much longer letter the following month. Best to do it now than later, while all of this is still fresh, Ginny thought. Besides, it'll distract me from thinking about... about... Fred...

Ginny got out of bed, went over to her desk, and sat in her chair. She pulled out a quill, some ink, and some parchment from one of the desk drawers. After thinking about what she should say without revealing too much information, she began to write.

Dear Adele and Ethel,

I'm so sorry for the short letter that I sent for your birthday last month. I was busy dealing with my secret, and hiding my secret from Mum, Dad and Ron that I didn't have time to really think about what to say. I also couldn't think of a good enough present for you—you're of age now, after all!—so I hope you liked the Chocolate Frogs.

As for my secret... I can't tell you about it through letter. It's something that needs to be explained in person. That is why I hope you will come to the Burrow for the Christmas holidays, rather than stay at Hogwarts like you usually do. Since you no longer have the Trace on you, you will be able to use Silencing Charms and other charms to ensure our privacy when I finally tell you everything.

If you want to stay at Hogwarts, though... I won't blame you. Once I start at Hogwarts, I probably won't want to come home for the holidays either. I'd want to explore the place and memorize it, so that I'll always remember it long after I graduate.

The only problem is... If you stay... I'd have to wait till the summer to finally tell you. I don't mean to frighten you when I say this so seriously, but I really don't think it can wait until June.

I hope Errol won't get lost trying to find his way to Hogwarts again. Ruddy owl is really starting to show his age. I suspect in about four years, we'll have to replace him.

From your favourite cousin in the whole wide Wizarding World,

Ginny

Ginny folded the stack of parchment into thirds, tied it with some string and addressed it. She put all of the books and notes back inside Hermione's handbag before placing it on top of the letter. She then settled back into her bed, rolling over onto her side to take one last look at the letter and handbag on her desk. I'll give the letter to Errol tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't take a week for Adele and Ethel to receive it, Ginny thought as sleep finally claimed her.


14th October 1990

Dearest Ginny,

We must admit that we were quite curious about the secret you promised to inform us about, and we were more than a little miffed to read that you were going to delay telling us once again. We also each got Professor Dumbledore with our Frogs, and we already had five of him before. Anyways, upon reading your letter in its entirety, we feel that we must put your worried feelings at rest.

We would love to stay with you at the Burrow for the Christmas holidays. Our curiosity over your secret and your urgency to inform us of it in person are far too great to pass up when an early opportunity is presented. We expect to see you at King's Cross on twenty-second December.

As we're sure you know, Fred and George are now Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We will try to go easy on them when we face them in May. However, it won't be our fault if we somehow accidentally ram the Quaffle at their heads rather than past Oliver Wood's post. We're quite certain that Ron may even be happy if Ravenclaw wins; a bit of payback for how awful they treat him during the summertime two-a-side Quidditch matches.

Tell Auntie Molly to not worry about Errol. He can stay with us at school as he regains consciousness from the long journey. We really ought to do something about his abysmal eyesight, the poor ancient menace. Anyways, you know how our Scops, Archimedes, likes to be treated: feed him some roasted dead animal, scratch behind his ear, and then retrieve the letter. Since it will take some time for Errol to get his strength back, we should continue our correspondence using Archimedes; he's younger and more likely to survive the long flight between Scotland and Devon.

All our love,

A & E


20th October 1990

Dear my sort-of sisters,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Don't worry, I'll be there with Mum to greet you. We'll have to sleep in the same room so that I can finally tell you my secret. However, I was thinking that instead of my room, we should sleep in Fred and George's room, since it's a little bigger than mine and they're staying at Hogwarts for the holidays again.

Speaking of those two, I did hear about that! Charlie sent us a letter about it. He was so excited and proud, his handwriting looked like a hurried scrawl and much of his parchment was spattered with ink. As much as the twins love pranks, their love for Quidditch is just as strong. They're probably going to be unbeatable, pun intended. I understand why you'd want to get revenge on Ron's behalf, but don't you think you could go a little easy on them? It won't be their first game by the time May comes round, but Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch Cup in four years.

I wish I could come and see the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. I wish I didn't have to wait two more years to finally go to my first Quidditch match. According to a letter that Fred and George wrote to Mum, the three Chaser spots on the Gryffindor team are already filled through their seventh year. That means that I won't be able to play until my fifth year! I really wish I weren't so young, because I'm always excluded and left behind. It hurts… I try really hard to not show that it hurts, but… It does.

However, I'm included in Quidditch at home now! I confessed to Ron that I've been nicking the broomsticks since I was six, and after I told him how hard it was to teach myself, he actually wasn't jealous of me; he was rather proud of me! He positively beamed when I asked him to teach me how to play as a Keeper. He also managed to get Mum and Dad to allow me to play with him! We've been practicing every day before dinner, so we may be able to beat Fred and George at two-a-side Quidditch this coming summer, even though I've been using Mum's Comet 220, which I'm still not quite used to, compared to Charlie's, Fred's, George's and Ron's broomsticks. I hope you two will be there to witness their long-awaiting dual defeat.

I'm really going to miss Ron when he starts at Hogwarts next year. I won't have anyone to play Quidditch with... And... I'll be left behind again...

Actually... It'll be worse next year because no one will be home, except for Mum and Dad. Bill will still be in Egypt, Charlie will be in Romania, you two, Percy and the twins will be at Hogwarts, Ron is going to join you... And then Dad will be at the Ministry until who knows when; his hours aren't consistent. For the most part, it'll just be Mum and me. I love her, I really do, but she always wants me to learn how to knit or cook, when all I want to do is fly on a broom—although, not necessarily hers, since older Comet broomsticks tend to pay more attention to looks than to quality—and throw a Quaffle.

Bloody hell, I was unrestrained there. I'm sorry. I just really don't like being left behind. No matter. I'm setting out to change that. Say, what do you know about Nymphadora Tonks? I overheard Charlie and Stan Shunpike talking about her on the Knight Bus back in September. From what I gathered, she sounds pretty brilliant; I believe Charlie said she wanted to be an Auror. If that's true, then perhaps you'd like to be acquainted with her? Since you want to follow in your parents' footsteps and become Aurors after you graduate.

Speaking of owls, since we all prefer Archimedes over Errol, perhaps we'll get ourselves a Scops Owl once Errol finally snuffs it. I've got the most humorous name for it already.

I can't wait to see you in two months!

All my love,

Ginny


28th October 1990

Ginny,

This is the last letter we will send before the holidays. Our classes aren't getting easier, and our captain is drilling us in preparation for our first match against Hufflepuff, even though it's three weeks from now. Please don't send a letter in response to this one. It'll be hard to send another letter before the holidays, so we hope this will get you through the next two months.

If we have ever made you feel excluded and left behind, please let us know in December. It was never our intention, especially since we've seen how you are treated in your family. We know they love you, but your family has always told you that you're 'too little' or 'too young' to do anything. It's completely unfair, seeing as you take after Fred and George more than any of your other brothers—and we don't just mean in your short stature and physical features, such as when your jaw is set. We've tried to treat you equally, but if you can recall a time when we didn't, please let us know over the holidays. We will make it up to you, somehow.

For the past two days, we have wondered why you mentioned this Nymphadora Tonks, who has no relation to us or to your immediate family. She does not play Quidditch, and from what we've seen of her, she is rather clumsy. How she aspires to be an Auror, we do not know. Then again, looks can be deceiving. She could be very competent underneath all of the tripping and falling, and we have seen for ourselves that she is a Metamorphmagus, which will help her easily pass the Concealment and Disguise portion of Auror training without doing any work for it. She's very lucky in that regard. We have a feeling that she has something to do with your secret somehow, so we will try to get to know her. It'll be hard to approach her, since she's a year ahead of us and in a different House, but we will try to strike up an acquaintanceship with her.

Learning to knit and cook are good skills to have, Ginny. One day, you may have your own house of sprogs to take care of, and Auntie Molly may not be around to teach you then. That may not necessarily be true, since magical beings such as ourselves tend to have a longer lifespan than Muggles. Even so, think of the joy you'll bring to her face if she sees that you're at least making an effort. We will never get an opportunity to learn anything from our own mum, for she has since joined Uncles Fabian and Gideon, so you really ought to cherish what little time you have left with her...

Ahem. Anyways, we're very proud of you for telling Ron about you nicking their broomsticks. Out of all of your brothers, he seems to be the only one who was bitten by the jealousy bug. Then again, given that Bill is the eldest, Charlie is the Quidditch Captain and Seeker for Gryffindor, Percy is the most hard-working, Fred and George are mischievous pranksters who can make people laugh, and you're the baby and the only girl, Ron has long suffered from middle child syndrome. He was bound to become jealous of you all. Had you continued to keep your Quidditch skills a secret from him, he would have developed a sort of animosity towards you if the two of you tried out for a House team (most likely Gryffindor) in a few years. However, from what you told us in your previous letter, you being honest with him has helped lessen that, so whatever else you're doing to rid him of his jealousy, we encourage you to continue doing so.

Then again, Ron excels best at Wizard's chess, thwarting nearly everyone in the extended family, including all of your brothers, so he must have a keen yet hidden knack for strategy and tactics. Perhaps you could ask him to teach you how to play? Not only will you learn another good skill, but you'll also spend more time with him before you're left behind at home next year. If he enjoys spending all of this time with you, playing Quidditch and Wizard's chess together, he'll be sure to write to you when he attends Hogwarts because he'll miss you, not because he'll feel like he has to. That is, if he has indeed been maturing like we have assumed.

Anyways, whenever you and Ron play against the twin devils, do let us know. We'd love to see if they can finally be defeated. From what Charlie has told us, they've become rather unbeatable, like you suspected, but we'll see for ourselves in a few weeks' time.

Speaking of which, enclosed with your letter is a letter for Auntie Molly, asking if the three of us could share the twins' room for the holidays, and, if she approves, to check if the room is even safe to sleep in. Be sure to give it to her. Also enclosed is a picture of Charlie and the twins in their Quidditch uniforms. We figured it would be best to take a photograph of the lot of them looking proud of themselves before Slytherin clobbers them for the fourth year in a row.

Regards,

A & E


3rd November 1990

After reading Adele and Ethel's latest letter the previous day, Ginny felt more at ease. She had not been this calm since before Rose's fateful visit. She has made good on her promises to her future niece thus far: she stayed away from Scabbers—no, Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous, form-appropriate rat who sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort—during the rest of the summer; she let Ron in on her Quidditch secret, and from this, he is now encouraging her to practice with him every day rather than discouraging her, and he's also steadily losing jealousy towards her; and she read all seven books and has brought her cousins along for the time-altering adventure. She had also internally made a promise to ask Ron to teach her how to play Wizard's chess in the near future. With all of the planning she and her companions will do, Ginny knew that she was going to need the skills to be a good strategist. She wanted to be able to keep up with her older, stronger companions once they were all together.

Sitting in the orchard with her back against a tall tree, breathing in the cool autumn air while watching the sun rise and keeping an iron grip on Hermione's handbag, Ginny wrapped her arms around herself as she mulled over her choice of companions. While Adele and Ethel would be a good, impartial third-party who would be unbiased in their opinions, and while Harry has to be included, Ginny is still conflicted about the fifth person. Rose said that her fifth companion would be prominent in the third, fifth and seventh books. Ginny could think of only two people who fit that criterion: Professor Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. However, she had no idea where Lupin is, and Sirius is still misplaced in Azkaban. She thought about writing to Lupin, but not only could she not think of what to say to him without causing a stir, but Molly would become furious and worried if she discovered that her only daughter was attempting to contact a werewolf. There was also the unfortunate fact that Pettigrew was currently at Hogwarts with Percy (something that hasn't been sitting well with Ginny for the last several weeks), so Sirius cannot be released just yet, not without finding a plausible way to oust the rat.

Suddenly, a thought came to her. Of course, Ginny thought as she smacked her forehead. He would be the most logical fifth companion. The Locket is in Grimmauld Place, so he can get it from Kreacher. But, how am I going to talk to him while he's suffering in Azkaban? More importantly, can he get his trial and officially be deemed innocent before Harry's sixth year? And even if that is possible, how in the name of Merlin can it happen? She bit her lip and massaged her temples as she wracked her brain for an answer.

After a half-hour of trying, and failing, to come up with an answer, Ginny realized something. Something so important that she didn't just feel like smacking her forehead; she felt like banging her head against the tree trunk (not unlike something that Dobby would do) for not remembering to do this as soon as she had finished reading all of the books.

With her head still intact, Ginny sat up abruptly, tied her long hair in a single plait and ran back to the Burrow and into her room. She pulled out all of the supplementary notes from Hermione's handbag and laid them out on her bed. She grinned at the fact that Hermione organized the notes by category (Death Eaters, Hogwarts students, Second Order of the Phoenix, etc.), and each category was alphabetized. It saved Ginny a lot of time, and for that, she was already grateful to the sister-in-law she hasn't met yet.

After separating the categories on her bed, Ginny rolled up the sleeves of her green jumper and whispered to herself, "All right, time to start planning."


23rd December 1990

As the Prewett twins settled into Fred and George's room with Ginny, the younger girl nervously fidgeted with her hair. Hermione's handbag, which held all of the books and notes, lay next to her as she sat on Fred's bed. Ethel was levitating their clothes from their individual trunks into separate drawers, while Adele was conjuring up a bed for Ginny in the middle of the room. By the time the twins were finally done with their tasks and settling onto George's bed, Ginny was nearly bouncing on Fred's bed. She had started tapping her fingers against her right thigh, and even almost started chewing her hair.

Before Ginny could start telling them her secret, though, Ron had barged into the room and announced that dinner was ready. Although the twins tried to stall eating so that Ginny could finally blow the gaff (after yelling at their daft cousin for not knocking before entering a lady's room), their stomachs betrayed them by giving audible growls. They blushingly gave up and followed Ron and Ginny to the kitchen. The fact that Ginny was devoutly attached to the purple handbag did not escape either Adele or Ethel's notice, but when Ginny caught them staring at what was in her left hand, she shook her head and mouthed, "Later."

After filling their stomachs, taking turns showering and taking care of other hygienic matters, and making sure that Ron, Molly and Arthur were asleep, the Prewetts and Ginny got themselves comfortable in Fred and George's room. With all three girls wearing dressing gowns over their nightdresses, Adele and Ethel cast Colloportus and Imperturbatus on the door and window and waited patiently for Ginny to speak.

Knowing that she could no longer delay what she had to say—and knowing that she had only two weeks to tell them and let them read the first few books—Ginny sighed heavily and began to finally divulge the truth.


Original Author's Notes (11/4/2015):

1. Adele and Ethel Prewett, as well as their familial relationship with the Weasleys and Longbottoms, are my own creations. Everything else that is related to Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and her alone.

2. I wonder if any of you will be able to find the Chrono Trigger reference. I picked a well-known something from that game and put it into this story, so I hope it can be picked out easily.

3. I know that there is no known incantation for the Imperturbable Charm, so I just used what I was able to find on HP Lexicon: the Latin word imperturbatus, which means "undisturbed, unruffled, calm."

4. The amount of time that it took Ginny to read all seven books is the same amount of time it took me to read all of them in one go. The very last time I did that was in 2011, before my parents gave the books away to the local library. It took me:

- two days to read Philosopher's Stone; (I'm an American, but I prefer to use the book's original title)

- two days to read Chamber of Secrets;

- three days to read Prisoner of Azkaban;

- a week to read Goblet of Fire;

- a week to read Order of the Phoenix;

- a week to read Half-Blood Prince;

- and a week to read Deathly Hallows.

5. You may be wondering why Ginny's only thinking of Fred and then Harry, and a little bit of George, Neville and Luna, but not Ron, Hermione, or any of the other important people in her life. The whole point of that first part of the chapter was so that Ginny could resolve her former feelings for the Boy Who Lived, and then her new feelings for Harry himself, before she came to a definitive solution about what to do when it came to him. Only after that does she switch to thinking about Fred and George. Only by thinking about her family, and in particular thinking of Fred and George being separated forever, does she steel her resolve to change the future, as Rose had asked her. Family is arguably the most important thing when it comes to the Weasleys, so it should not be any different when the one thing that makes Ginny want to change the future is her family, not Harry and whatever feelings she has or had for him. Hopefully I made that clear.

6. A big shout-out goes to the Harry Potter books, HP Wikia, and HP Lexicon for all of the information that I needed to describe certain things.

7. To all of those who have read this chapter: thank you, thank you, and thank you! I appreciate any reviews, either praise or criticism (as long as the criticism is not too harsh)!

New Author's Notes (8/11/2016):

1. Like the previous chapter, this chapter was not beta-ed.

2. Since I finally got around to posting this, on Ginny's birthday, here's a happy birthday to one of the most prominent secondary characters, Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter, who is now 35 years of age in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

3. Continuing on that, here's a happy birthday to real-life people: Hulk Hogan, Sunil Shetty, Embeth Davidtz, Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Sophie Okonedo, Ashley Jensen, Will Friedle, Ben Gibbard, and Chris Hemsworth. (These are the only people I'm remotely aware of in terms of their various works, so that's why I didn't add any more names.)

4. And, continuing on that, let's give a moment of silence to all of the people we've lost on August 11th: Andrew Carnegie, Mary Sumner, Edith Wharton, Jackson Pollock, Anne Ramsey, Peter Cushing, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Robin Williams. (Again, these are the only people I'm remotely aware of in terms of their various works, so that's why I didn't add any more names.)

5. This is where this AU story ends. I sincerely apologize for ending this chapter on a cliff-hanger, but I lost the drive to continue with this chapter, let alone this story, back in December 2015. Even if I wanted to continue this story, or let someone else continue on with it, I can't. I deleted all of my notes and my incomplete outline for this story in June 2016, and I honestly can't remember what I meant to happen in this chapter, or in the future chapters. I do remember that I stopped my incomplete outline at the end of Year 2, in large part because I didn't know what I wanted to happen in Years 3 or 4. I knew that I wanted the main story to end at Year 4, with an epilogue that covered the rest of the years at Hogwarts, but I didn't get that far in terms of the plot. The only reason I decided to finally post this incomplete story onto this site is because I like writing as a hobby, and I really want you, as the viewers, to review it and give me encouragement (or non-harsh criticism, since this was my very first fanfic) and let me know if I really should continue to write as a hobby, or just give it up entirely. Especially since I'm definitely planning to continue writing my Digimon AU story. Again, please leave a review for this story, and please let me know if I'm good enough to continue writing as a hobby, or if I should just give it up cold-turkey. I really don't want to, because of my Digimon AU story, but I'm letting the majority vote.